ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Virginia Western Community College realized they needed to keep students engaged. Studies have shown if you keep students on campus longer they'll do better in classes because they're more likely to go to them and study harder.
The student life center opened at Virginia Western last fall and it's doing exactly what they hoped it would do. A fitness center is on the first floor, a Subway on the third floor, along with student activities space. Club meeting rooms stay busy every day and students hang out between classes studying.
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They say the building is doing exactly what they hoped it would do.
"With the students congregating in this building and this area they're making connections, and the student organizations that used to meet at different locations across campus, now with them having a central meeting place, their collaborating more, they're talking to each other more, they're coming up with big ideas so they can work together to meet their goals," said Natasha Lee, VWCC Student Activities coordinator.
The big spring fling at Virginia Western is planned for Friday.